Bickering Leads to Trouble
by Deer Flower
Summary: A small scene of Jack reconciling with his dad after the two have a fight. Father and son bonding with an angry mother ready to teach both boys that they shouldn't fight in her house. Slight age difference from movie and pre-Frost Jack.


Why hello, whoever this is. I am glad to see that this interested you enough to click on the title and give it a read. Originally, this was just a slight musing, but as I started out on it, well it turned into this little one-shot.

Now I'm not quite sure what to think of this little document. Originally, it was supposed to be something kind of dark, but then my humorous side decided to take over so that's why some parts may seem a bit weird.

Oh well, I've rambled on enough so here's where I end, except for the disclaimer of course!

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Rise of Guardians. The lovely movie belongs to DreamWorks and the awesome books belong to William Joyce.

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"Jackson Overland!" a deep but loud voice called out from the shore of a small lake. Hearing his name, the brown haired boy turned his head to lock their brown eyes with each other. The action caused him to lose his balance a little, but he recovered enough to keep his feet steady on the ice.

"What, dad?! I'm just following your orders: go out and clear my head!" the boys remarked, turning his back on the older man. He pushed his bare feet against the ice and slid a few feet in front before making a complete turn. When he turned back around, he saw his father clenching in one hand a bright lantern while the other tightened its hold on the shepherd's crook.

"By 'clearing your head' I didn't mean running out to skate on the ice! Get your butt over here before I use this," he pointed the tip of the piece of wood at the boy, "to drag you off!" Jackson gave his father a long stare before turning away from him again, continuing his skating routine.

From the shore, his father watched on in both frustration and worry. Frustrated that the boy wouldn't listen to him and worry that his son might hurt himself. While it was still close to the middle of winter, some parts of the lake were thinner than others so it could be easy for someone to fall through. Especially because the only light to be see was from his lantern and only a few scattered stars shone on the moonless night.

Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, the father wiped some snow off a nearby stone and sat down, placing the lantern by his side. Propping one foot against the rock, he rested the staff on his shoulders and thought of his next move.

Jackson watched his father with mild curiosity before going back to skating. While he was happy that his dad cared enough to make sure he was doing alright, the boy was still mad at him from their earlier fight. Usually the two would be able to butt heads without stepping on each other's toes, but that was usually because his mother would step in with some small comment like 'Supper's ready' or 'It's getting pretty late, so I better head off to bed.' That was all it took to get them to quit arguing and either reach a conclusion or decide to leave it be.

Unfortunately, his mother was away in another town visiting family and had taken his two year old sister with her. The two males said that their reason for staying behind was because they wanted to look after the house and the animals, but everyone knew that it was because her sisters and mother would constantly be on the boy's case for acting like a "wooded bumpkin instead of proper gentleman."

While his mother would say that they only did that because they loved teasing his father, Jackson had figured out that it was because his mother was proposed to by a wealthy English man that had promised the whole family they could live on his estate. However, his mom was already in love with his dad so the two eloped and moved out to the growing village of Burgess. His mom however made a deal with his dad that they would visit at least one a year and would stay for a few hours so they could catch up and be home before dark, neither really wanting to spend the night at the house.

When Jackson came along, her sisters immediately took it upon themselves to make him into a young gentleman, but his father was 'persuasive' enough to knock them off after a few years. "The boy needs to survive using his wit and common sense, not by fluffing a wig and knowing the proper tea ceremony," he had said, making it clear that his son was going to learn the family trade and a basic education first.

Jackson would never admit it, but that was the day he really started to look up to his father and wanted to make the old man proud. Anything his father taught him, he took to heart and made sure that the time he spent learning at school didn't go to waste. Unfortunately, it turned out that not only had Jackson inherited his father's hair, eyes, and (slightly smaller) frame, but also the man's stubborn and 'I'm always right' attitude.

Ever since Jackson learned to talk, the two would always be bickering over something, whether it was over a simple chore or about the way they say things. Eventually, the other villagers had gotten used to it and would even bet amongst themselves over which of the Overland males would cave in first. His mother on the other hand couldn't stand it, so she set up a strict and highly enforced schedule on when they could argue and for how long.

The one time the pair had broken her agreement, they found themselves forced to eat hard as nails bread with watered gruel, finding their shoes stuffed with hay and poison ivy, and waking up on a bed of woodchips and rusty nails. Needless to say, the first time was also their last time.

While the routine had become to what they would call normal, the lack of his mother, who decided that she would stay the night, and sister had worsened their argument (over what, neither could really remember) and caused Jackson to storm out in a fit of rage. A couple of hours later, here they were at the lake, neither quite ready to resolve whatever needed to be resolved.

Half an hour past until Jackson, from the other side of the lake, called out, "Isn't it getting past your bed time, old man?" His father gave a soft snort and replied, "Says the boy who checks in every dark corner for the 'Boogeyman.' How old are you now? 14? 15?"

"16 thank you very much." Another wave of silence fell upon the pair, only cut out by the sound of Jackson's sliding feet and his father's foot tapping. Suddenly, the boy stopped his movements and looked back to the older man. They locked eyes again and the boy asked with a grin, "When are you going to finally retire and give me that staff, old man?"

Most fathers would have given their sons a good slap and smack across the back for that statement, but the man let out his own grin and replied, "When you finally quit acting like a little brat and realize that there are still a few tricks this 'old man' can still teach you."

Jackson gave a small pout, but immediately replaced it with a large smile as he called out, "Well before that happens: Watch this!" Without another word, the boy slid to the middle of the lake and did a quick jump spin.

As his feet landed on the ice, his father took in a quick breath but let it out when his son continued skating. While it wasn't how the pair usually solved things, it was enough to dispel the tension between them. For the next hour, the pair stayed silent except for an occasion laugh from Jackson or a small comment from his father when the boy missed his footing.

When the lantern light began to dim, Jackson slid over to his father and joined the man as he reached down to pick up the light source. Nodding to each other, the boy took the lantern and held it in front of them as they walked side by side back home. Half way to their destination, Jackson looked at his dad and asked, "Are we going to tell mom about this?"

His father looked up for a second before placing his hand on his son's shoulder, saying, "Naw. Let's let her believe that we can be 'perfect little gentlemen' for at least a day. Lord knows she deserves it. It must take serious strength for her to deal with the two of us and still stay sane, don't ya think?"

Nodding, the two approached their house from the back, not noticing the woman they were talking about walking in through the front door with her sleeping daughter. When her bright brown eyes took in the state of her small house, she took a deep breath and tucked the girl into her tiny bed. Making sure the girl was comfortable, she heard a small noise coming from the back door. Taking another deep breath, she grabbed a wooden cane given to her by her mother and rested her back against the wall that separated the kitchen area from the front part of the house.

As the door opened, she heard, "-notice the mess?" "Naw. She was planning on spending the night and I'm sure it isn't that-"

The two, not noticing the woman behind the wall, looked at the mess in the living room and both let out a loud curse. "Oh man, mom is gonna kill both of us!" Jackson said, rubbing the back of his head. "Not if she doesn't find out," his father stated, closing the door and extinguishing the lantern. "All we gotta do is tidy floor, replace the curtains, fix the candle sticks, and pick the dresser back up."

"What about the hole in the back of the dresser?" Jackson asked, stepping into the room with his father behind him. The woman didn't say anything, but did close her eyes and start to slowly count down from ten. "We fix that up too and pray to our Lord that your mother doesn't dust behind it."

_"Seven… Six…," _she thought, eyes still closed. Suddenly, Jackson's eyed widened as he noticed a bundle on his sister's bed and let out a loud gulp. "What is it, son?" his father asked, setting his staff by a nearby rocking chair that managed to stay standing. Without saying a word, he pointed to the bed and his father's eyes also widened in fear. "Oh no. Don't tell me."

"Two… One," a calm voice called out beside them. Both men jumped nearly two feet as they turned around to face the owner of the voice. "Mom." "Dear." They called out, hoping to lessen the look sent their way.

When she didn't say anything, Jackson shakily said, "You're home early. How come, mom?" His mother's eyes darkened as she replied, "I had a feeling something amiss was going on in my house so I cut our visit short. Now, tell me why my house, which I specifically recall leaving in spotless condition, is in such a mess?"

Neither male made a motion to answer, so she continued, "How many times have I told you boys that my house is not a battle ground for your fights and I will not stand to have even a speck of dust to be messed with?" The rhythmic tapping of her cane only set their nerves more on edge as she continued waiting for an answer.

Her husband gulped again and raising his arms muttered, "Now dear hear us out: Yes we did fight, but as you can see-" he put down his arms and wrapped them around his son's shoulders, plastering on a forced smile. "We are now getting along and didn't even throw a punch at each other. Isn't that right, Jackson?"

Sharing his father's fear and expression, the boy quickly nodded and added, "Yeah, so since you're probably tired, why don't you go to sleep, let us pick up in here, and laugh about this in the morning, huh?" His father tightened his grip as his mother's eyes darkened and her tapping stopped.

"I spend my days cleaning every inch of this house, helping everywhere in the village, making sure the barn animals are fine, and putting up with your constant bickers. I just spent a whole day sitting down among my annoying sisters and mother who were gossiping about silly dresses and proposals while I kept biting my tongue and making sure my hands didn't start cleaning. The only activity I've done today is walk to and from the village with a calm daughter in my arms.

"So no, my son, I am not tired. In fact, my sisters' annoying chatter have actually sent my nerves on edge but I kept telling myself on the way over here not to take it out on either of you if you hadn't done anything. I figured a day without me would be punishment enough because both of you would have probably argued for so long that you would not be able to make supper. However, it seems that not even the Lord can get through to your thick, stubborn skulls, so maybe I can help him with this little task."

As she slowly advanced to the shaking males, Jackson's father cast a quick glance to the door and muttered to his son, "On the count of three, make a dash for the door." When Jackson nodded, the man started, "One-"

"Three!" Jackson interrupted, throwing his dad's arms off and running for the door. The action caused the woman to pause for a few seconds, giving her husband enough time to follow his son as the boy through open the door and ran out. When everything registered in the woman's mind, she took in another breath and watched the boys' retreating forms through the door.

"Momma," a small, sleepy voice called out. The woman's face immediately softened into a smile as she turned to her daughter. "Yes, dearie?"

The little girl gave a small yawn and asked, "Where papa and Jackie?" Her mother let out a smile and answered, "Oh they just had to step out for a while, but don't worry, they'll be back." Yawning again, the girl nestled into the mattress and was asleep again within seconds.

Smiling, the woman adjusted the girl's blanket and sat herself in the rocking chair, running a hand over her husband's staff while gripping the handle of her cane with the other. "And if not," she muttered, "well, I hope they dressed warmly."

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And that's where I'll end…. Whatever it was. So hopefully it didn't bore anyone to tears and if it did, I'm sorry. If you notice any spelling/grammar mistakes, please point them out. I have the horrible habit of thinking faster than I can type so I might have missed a word or two, hopefully not three or more. Well any questions/comments/concerns will be taken and I would like to hear what you think of this.

That's about all in the formality part, so thanks for reading this far and if you're killing time like me, I'll be adding a few more things. If not, well, thanks again for reading.

As I was starting this, I was thinking about using 'Jack' instead of 'Jackson', but then I started really loving the full name so I just stuck with it. I also decided not to name his dad, mom, or sister because I couldn't come up with anything I really liked and since his sister doesn't have a confirmed name, I decided to skip it.

This is really the end so… Until next time then!


End file.
